Rolling intake at Ag Challenge in Whanganui eases student stress

Rolling intakes allow students to learn the basics about agriculture on Ag Challenge's real life farms in Whanganui.

Preparing for a farm career is no longer a seasonal task with Ag Challenge's rolling intake system.

The Whanganui-based private training provider has removed much of the stress for budding farmers, who no longer have to make spot decisions on the direction they want to ultimately take and enrol by a date set in concrete.

While most agricultural programmes began this year on February 4, enrolments can now be taken at any time throughout the year.

"We have rolling intakes this year, which means people can join our programmes any time. This is a new thing," Ag Challenge marketing/trades academy co-ordinator Kristine Dickson said.

The rolling intake system is ideal for The Next Generation Farms Skills L2 course in particular. It will get people into the great outdoors to learn the basics about agriculture on Ag Challenge's real life farms.

From learning to ride a motorbike to handling animals and everything in between, this course is ideal for those who don't have any qualifications. All they need is the desire to get started.

The Farm Skills L2 programme is a zero fees 15-week course that can lead to a job as a relief milker, junior farm assistant or continue studying with Ag Challenge which includes Farming Systems Technology L3, Milk Harvesting Technology L3 and Vehicles, Machinery and Infrastructure (VMI) L3 and then onto the Rural Animal Technology L5 programme.